Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.) and his Republican challenger, Ricky Gill, are in a dead heat in the 9th district, according to a poll conducted for Gill and the National Republican Congressional Committee.

The poll came just as McNerney released his own poll that had the Democrat up by 16 points. Either way, this is one of a number of competitive races in California this cycle.

Gill's poll, conducted by the Tarrance Group, found that McNerney led 47 percent to 45 percent, well within the poll's 4.9-point margin of error. Nine percent were undecided.

Pollster Dave Sackett said in a memo that McNerney's slim advantage was driven by the Congressman's name-recognition advantage. The poll of 402 likely voters was conducted July 24-26, about two weeks after McNerney's poll was fielded.